WOLF PACK UNLEASHED: NOAH LABA

Sep 4, 2025

HARTFORD, CT – There’s an old saying that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Luckily for Noah Laba, he made good on his first opportunity.

The young forward electrified the crowd in Hartford in his professional debut late during the 2024-25 season, scoring shorthanded against the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears.

It was the first of an eleven game stint for Laba with the Wolf Pack. With his NCAA career behind him, the fourth round draft choice (111^th overall) in 2022 by the New York Rangers was able to gain some extremely valuable experience with the Wolf Pack ahead of his rookie campaign.

“Obviously, coming here (to Hartford) at the end of the season was great and I feel like I learned a lot,” Laba said when asked about the experience. “The most important thing for me was to come here, learn from the older guys and kind of see what it’s like. It’s a fast game, guys are really good and it’s a hard league, but there was a lot to be learned, and I feel like I did learn here.”

Laba played a key role for the Wolf Pack down the stretch. He saw extended time with veteran forwards like Nathan Sucese, Anton Blidh, and Alex Belzile. Playing with proven players at the AHL level helped the young forward adjust and learn.

“Just their hockey IQ, it’s super high. It’s a group that made a lot of smart little plays, whether it be on a breakout along the boards or just in-zone stuff,” he said of playing with Hartford’s established core of veterans. “To be able to kind of learn from their collective hockey IQ was nice.”

Sometimes, it takes a little longer to learn lessons, especially at the professional level. For Laba, however, the results began to show quite quickly. He and Blidh teamed up just 8:17 into his professional debut. While killing the only penalty of the night, Blidh sprung Laba ahead for a shorthanded breakaway.

Against Clay Stevenson, Laba made a nice move and buried his first career professional goal on his first career shot.

“That was awesome,” he said, with a smile. “Obviously, getting that one out of the way in the first game is cool. It was nice to get it in game one, that was a special feeling, especially in a big win for our team.”

Often, players adjusting from the NCAA or junior levels struggle to provide offense immediately in the pro ranks. Laba’s debut highlight wasn’t his only contribution. He ended the season finding…